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Angeles draws outrage in CaliforniaReflection AI and Mistral unveil new models to compete with Chinese rivalsSouth Korea prepares response to force North Korean apology over DMZ blastDeepSeek to raise at least $12bn in Tencent-backed roundEU Commission proposes 15-year probation and fewer vetoes for new membersIsrael puts army on alert and threatens Gaza ahead of October 7 anniversaryGaza ceasefire a year on: Trump plan stalled, UN chief says truce falls shortFrance test-fires new M51.3 nuclear missileUK threatens to expel Israeli diplomats if Jerusalem consulate closesFrancis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for neutrino workUS envoy meets Sudan army chief in Egypt in bid to end the warJapan's 10-year yield tops 3% as fiscal fears growUK weighs tariffs on Chinese EVsKosovo deadlock deepens as protests over Specialist Chambers law turn violentPakistan PM invites Imran Khan's party to talks, urges end to marchGoogle ordered to halt Finland data centre workIndia-US trade talks stall againDisney and FCC dispute over broadcast licences moves to courtYemeni government claims gains near Bab el-Mandeb as Houthis hit Saudi airportsKenya confirms first Ebola death, imported from CongoTwo killed as about 650 Ukrainian drones target Moscow regionGulf oil flows recover as Iran keeps attacking tankersFrench bond selloff weighs on euro as Le Pen unveils spending cutsFormer BND chief Hanning arrested on suspicion of selling secretsFrench school protests reach new scale as unions join and Macron calls crisis meetingDrones sink cargo ship in Bulgaria's Black Sea zone as attacks on shipping widenFighting spreads in Tigray as Ethiopia-Eritrea war risk growsWHO rates plague risk low as Russia denies outbreakAfD takes Saxony-Anhalt parliament presidency with four unexplained extra votesSaudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey activate Mecca defence pact over Houthi attacksSeventh arrest over Fairford plot as US and UK differ on the threatKremlin threatens retaliation after Lithuania moves to lift nuclear weapons banBolsonaro family gains strength as Lula retools for Brazil runoffOpposition leaders briefly detained at march on Indian Election CommissionZelensky warns of massive Russian attack as strikes hit Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and KyivGermany and France call for EU tool to close market to China, Beijing objectsUS Treasury yields ease from 2002 highs as oil dipsSouth Korea probes AI use in bank hacks after data exposed at seven firmsMali army retakes Kidal as Tuareg rebels withdrawNew York declares disaster emergency as US measles cases near 3,900Floods in Dakar kill residentsSpain re-approves housing decrees and lifts Puigdemont warrant as campaign beginsParamount completes $111bn takeover of Warner Bros DiscoveryTrump approves firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal HasanS&P 500 hits record high as AI chip stocks rallySeparatist Parti Québécois wins Quebec election, promises independence referendumOpenAI apologises to Australian parliament over agent access to government sitesTrump's remark that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles draws outrage in CaliforniaReflection AI and Mistral unveil new models to compete with Chinese rivalsSouth Korea prepares response to force North Korean apology over DMZ blastDeepSeek to raise at least $12bn in Tencent-backed roundEU Commission proposes 15-year probation and fewer vetoes for new membersIsrael puts army on alert and threatens Gaza ahead of October 7 anniversaryGaza ceasefire a year on: Trump plan stalled, UN chief says truce falls shortFrance test-fires new M51.3 nuclear missileUK threatens to expel Israeli diplomats if Jerusalem consulate closesFrancis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for neutrino workUS envoy meets Sudan army chief in Egypt in bid to end the warJapan's 10-year yield tops 3% as fiscal fears growUK weighs tariffs on Chinese EVsKosovo deadlock deepens as protests over Specialist Chambers law turn violentPakistan PM invites Imran Khan's party to talks, urges end to marchGoogle ordered to halt Finland data centre workIndia-US trade talks stall againDisney and FCC dispute over broadcast licences moves to court
Bota
Symbolic image: AfD takes Saxony-Anhalt parliament presidency with four unexplained extra votesSymbolic image

AfD takes Saxony-Anhalt parliament presidency with four unexplained extra votes

10 sources

The AfD's Tobias Rausch was elected president of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday, the first AfD member in such an office. He received 48 votes, four more than the AfD and BSW hold seats.

Rausch, 35, a real estate entrepreneur and confidant of AfD parliamentary leader Ulrich Siegmund, won the secret ballot at the inaugural sitting on Tuesday, 6 October. The AfD holds 39 seats, and the BSW had announced beforehand that it would lend its five votes. According to FAZ, the 15 CDU deputies had agreed to abstain but only five did, which the paper reads as a sign that some of them voted for Rausch. AfD state chair Martin Reichardt said the votes probably did not come from the Left, Greens or SPD. Thorsten Frei, who chairs the CDU in the national parliament, called the extra votes a "grave concern" but described any suggestion they came from his party as "pure speculation". Vice-chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) said the result "breaks a taboo" and that the CDU must explain how it happened.

Tillschneider becomes vice president

The AfD's Hans-Thomas Tillschneider was elected vice president with 44 votes, while the CDU's Borchert became second vice president and the SPD candidate failed. Tillschneider said he would work "professionally and inconspicuously"; FAZ notes his past provocations in parliament and repeated criticism of his closeness to Russia.

Premier vote planned for December

Siegmund aims to be elected state premier in December, after the AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority in the 6 September election. The Jerusalem Post reports that the BSW has said it would abstain in such a vote.

Other opinions

The Jerusalem Post frames the sitting mainly as evidence that the AfD still lacks a clear path to government, while the Financial Times and FAZ focus on the hidden support for Rausch.

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